For a long time it is known that certain lifestyle and health factors increase the risk of heart disease, but a new study highlights that women could affect men.
Eight specific habits (diet, sleep, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure) seem to have twice the impact on heart health risk for women compared to men, researchers found researchers at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto.
The findings will be presented in the annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago from March 29, 2025.
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The study included data from more than 175,000 Canadian adults without existing heart conditions that registered in the Ontario Health Study between 2009 and 2017, according to a press release.
The researchers analyzed the scores of the participants for the eight risk factors and then tracked the incidence of seven results of heart disease for a period of 11 years.
Specific habits seem to have twice the impact on the health risk of the heart for women compared to men, Toronto researchers discovered. (Istock)
These results included heart attack, stroke, unstable angina (chest pain that results from the blood flow restricted to the heart), peripheral arterial disease (narrow blood vessels in the arms or legs), heart insufficiency and coronary revascularization (open blocked arteries procedures) and cardiovascular death, the release indicated.
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In general, it was discovered that more women had ideal health (9.1% compared to 4.8% of men).
They also had less likely to have poor health (21.9% compared to 30.5% of men).
However, it was shown that women who had poor health had almost five times the risk of heart disease that women with ideal health, according to the study.
“We discover that women tend to have a better health than men, but the impact on results is different.”
In comparison, men with poor health had 2.5 times the risk of heart disease compared to men with ideal health.
Among women with intermediate health, there was a risk 2.3 times greater than for those with ideal health, compared to 1.6 times the risk of intermediate health men.
It was shown that women who had poor health have almost five times the risk of heart disease that women with ideal health, according to the study. (Istock)
“For the same level of health, our study shows that the increase in risk [related to each factor] It is taller in women than in men: it is not a unique size, “said Principal Author Maneesh Sud, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Interventionist Cardiologist and Clinical Scientist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, in the statement.
“We find that women tend to have a better health than men, but the impact on results is different. The combination of these factors has a greater impact on women than on men.”
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This is a new finding that has not been seen in other studies, added the researcher.
According to study findings, the researchers concluded that “sexual evaluation approaches or evaluation of sexual risk” could predict more precisely the risk of heart disease of people.
“I think that the reason why women are more susceptible to heart disease is due to particular milestones tensions in their lives that men do not share, which include dramatic hormonal changes that can stand directly to cardiac function,” a doctor shared. (Istock)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Senior Medical Analyst of Nyu Langone Health and Fox News, did not participate in the study, but shared his ideas about the possible reasons of the findings.
“I think that the reason why women are more susceptible to heart disease is due to a particular milestone tension in their lives that men do not share, which include dramatic hormonal changes that can stand directly to cardiac function,” he told Fox News Digital.
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These milestones may include pregnancy, childbirth and menopause, the doctor said.
“Keep in mind that estrogen is, in some aspects, cardioprotective, and falls dramatically with menopause,” said Siegel. “And at the same time, cholesterol (a heart risk factor) increases, like weight.”
“In general, women tended to have a better health than men, with better diets, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure,” said the researchers. (Istock)
“In general, women tended to have a better health than men, with better diets, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure, but those of intermediate health had a greater risk of heart problems,” he continued.
Due to the limited population of the study, “only certain conclusions can be taken,” Siegel added.
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Dr. Bradley Serwer, cardiologist and medical director based in Maryland in Vitalsolution, an ingenovis health company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals throughout the country, said there has been a need for studies specifically designed to focus on the cardiovascular risk of women.
“We know that premenopausal women have a cardiovascular risk adjusted to the lowest age, but this is updated after menopause.”
“For many years, we have falsely assumed that traditional cardiovascular risk factors affected populations in a similar way,” said Serwer, who did not participate in the study, Fox News Digital.
“We know that premenopausal women have a cardiovascular risk adjusted to the lowest age, but this is updated after menopause.”
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More research is needed to understand the underlying reasons for this phenomenon, said the cardiologist.
“Is it only attributable to the protective effects of estrogen, or there are other unrecognized taxpayers? I praise the authors of this study for their contributions, since they further challenge our conventional approaches to primary prevention in women.”
